Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Most Thorough History of Early Lakewood
In 2005, Steve Dunkelberger and I contributed to a photo history of Lakewood. Steve and I hoped the Lakewood book would shed light on our community's rich history. Now comes a titan: a major work on a key aspect of Lakewood history by a group of historians with a long record of accomplishment in Tacoma and throughout Washington. They prepared the report because the folks who operate Western State joined with other state agencies to commission a major study of the most historic grounds in Lakewood: the Fort Steilacoom District which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The major landowner right now of that district is Western State Hospital, hence the name of the report. Thus the report chronicles not only the pre-pioneer and pioneer periods, but also the history of mental health treatment in America.
It's all part of a major effort under way to figure out how to preseve and interpret the amazing history here for this and future generations. Some of us will NEVER give up on the dream, for example, that this is the place that children should learn the sobering story of Chief Leschi. It's a story that only becomes more important every time there is a case of racial and ethnic injustice in the world.
But the question of what to do with these lands and who should run and pay for all of it is a question for another day. Right now, you should download this file (and it could take awhile; this is a biiiiig report) and see what's got to be the most comprehensive work ever compiled about Lakewood history.
Enjoy: Western State Hospital, A Cultural Landscape Assessment
